A Stitch in Time Saves the Benign
by TeamTeaboy
Summary: That's it. All I can take. I'm getting my Yan back, and keeping him.
1. Prologue

**Own nothing. Written by Inkinhart (with input from x - torchwood's baby blue - x)**

It should have been raining. But, of course, the universe doesn't work like that. The bright and sunny atmosphere didn't suit the absolute desolation of the small congregation gathered by the pit. Only eight people assembled around my Ianto's grave. That very fact incensed me; he deserved a posthumous knighting from the Queen. He deserved flowers from every single soul he saved.

He deserved the whole world, and more.

I watched his coffin being carried to the grave, knowing that it was only filled with rocks. His body would remain in the morgue forever. Those who came here to grieve wouldn't even be near him. Bloody Torchwood.

His coffin was slowly lowered into the earth, and I couldn't take it anymore. I dropped to my knees, trying to contain the pain ripping through every fibre of my being.

As soon as the first tear touched the grass, the heavens opened. I would like to think that some immortal being – the universe itself, maybe – was mourning the loss of such a pure, giving soul. But I knew it was purely coincidence, and that made it all the worse.


	2. Tosh

**Own zilch. Written by x - Torchwood's Baby Blue - x**

I looked around. I was in the Hub. But I couldn't have been. My last thought that I could remember was the pain. The sadness. The destruction all around me. the loss. Owen. I lost Owen. Again. He died. Again. I didn't want to remember that. I lost the only man I loved. The only man I am ever going to love. How can I love anyone else? It was him. It was Owen. Owen Harper. He was… oh my god.

'Tosh … '

'Owen … ?'

'Ya'know, we never did get that pool tournament.'

Was he … ?

'And your point is … ?'

'Well … how's Friday?'

Oh my dear god. He was. He so was! He was asking me out on a date. And you could guess my reaction.


	3. Owen

**Own absolutely nothing. Written by Inkinhart**

Wow. Even when she had just woken up from death, Toshiko was beautiful. Her cheeks were just beginning to flush, and her eyes were wide and bright.

Ah, I need to stop. Don't want to sound like the tea-boy.

But she was incredibly beautiful.

She looked over to me, and quickly looked away. I immediately thought back to those last few minutes.

'_GIVE ME ONE GOOD REASON WHY I SHOULD STOP SCREAMING!'_

'_Because you're breaking my heart.'_

It was in that moment that I realized that … I didn't _want_ her heart to break. I wanted to be the one to make it all better.

I was hopelessly, completely _maddeningly_ in love with Ms. Toshiko Sato. And it was too late to do anything about it.

But now I could.

'Tosh … '

'Owen … ?' she said, a question in her voice. She didn't know what I was about to do, say.

'Ya'know, we never did get that pool tournament,' I said, looking at her out of the corner of my eye, leaning back on the … whatever was behind me.

She looked flustered by this, doing that nervous little fluttery thing, fiddling with her hair, and not looking anywhere for more than a second. She, however, eventually settled on a response. 'And your point is … ?'

'Well … how's Friday?' I said, hoping she got my point.

She did, of course.


	4. Jack

**Own nothing. Written by x - Torchwood's Baby Blue - x**

I was laughing with Gwen. Well, that's what she thought. Although I was sure that she knew. Knew that it wasn't me. That mask I've had to put on for three months. The mask to hide the pain. The loss, the yearning. The loss of my Ianto. The only man I'd be willing to give up my immortality for. The only man I'd really _die _for. I need him. I need him to survive. I just wanted my welsh tea boy to walk in right then and give me a hug and say I'm here. But I knew, deep down, that he wouldn't.

'Jack …'

I did a double take and I was amazed that I don't suffer from whiplash injury as it was impressively quick.

'Ianto … ?'

'I'm here,' was all he could say before he got an armful of American, hot, may I add, captain. We stood there, hugging, laughing, crying and basically in our perfect world again. And thinking back to before it happened, that was the happiest day of my life. Above and beyond travelling with the Doctor, way above and beyond. This was it. This is where I wanted to be for the rest of my very long life. And sod everyone else, this is where I'm going to stay.


	5. Ianto

**Own nada. Written by Inkinhart**

There he was, standing with his back to me. Jack. My Jack. He was laughing with Gwen, but I could see the lingering sadness in his posture. His head wasn't held as high, and his shoulders had slumped. I didn't need to see his face to know that his laugh wouldn't be in his eyes, his smile half-hearted, but only to me. To anyone else, he would look genuinely happy, but I could see through his oh-so-carefully constructed mask.

This was why I needed to be here.

I needed to save my captain.

'Jack,' I breathed. He turned to my voice, and murmured _I thought I –_ before turning back and performing the quickest double-take I've ever seen without an accompanying case of whiplash. He looked a second longer than the first time, and slowly made his way towards me.

'Ianto?' he whispered, heartbreaking hope in his voice. He sounded so small and lost, I wanted so bad to make it all go away.

'I'm here,' was all I could say, before I had an armful of American captain. He nuzzled into my neck, and drew in an extraordinarily deep breath.

His nose traced my neck, and breathed into my ear. 'I love you too.'

And before I knew it, we were clinging to each other, laughing and crying at the same time, full of relief, joy, love … but most of all I felt peace. This was where I belonged, and come hell or high water, I would stay here, wrapped in my captain and secure.

I had him back, and I sure as hell was not letting him go.


	6. Gwen

**Nothing is owned. Written by BeeBumble x**

The way Jack laughs, it's easy to see the hidden despair, loss and grief in his eyes. He's tried to bury it, to look brave in front of me. I'm not falling for it. Not now, not ever. The sorrow he bares is too big for his heart, immortal maybe but that doesn't bring help. It makes it worse. More deaths to see with pained eyes, more breaths to take in with a ripped throat and more pain to endure in his heart. It will be never ending, never pausing, only ever growing.

The team have a special place in Jack's heart. Each time a member dies a small hole is created, seeping into his mind, breaking him inside out. Ianto was the final one, the final stitch taken from his heart. Ianto was more special, is, more special than any other member of the team, ever. He's more special than he realised, than he ever could realise. For now, and forever.

And Tosh, how could you forget her? With her jeans and boots combo, her look was always the same. But Tosh, very Tosh. I applaud her on that. It's a shame she never heard me though. She was a beautiful woman in her way. She had intelligence beyond my grasp, or anyone's grasp. Eyes that sparkled when a new gadget arrived! And the pining she had for one man, Owen Harper. Doctor, Owen Harper.

Owen, well he never changed. His loves did, but his personality, not at all. Doctor Owen Harper, the King of The Weevils, the living dead, and the man who stole Tosh's heart, and kept it, until death did them part. Memories of him will never be, forgotten. However hard I try. He is etched there, with Tosh in arms. The image I had hoped for.

Both have gone, together as they always shall be. Owen and Tosh, not your general fairytale romance, but a love, so deep and strong. No one would be able to break it. However strong they are.

-x-

The name calling, the hugging, the soothing words, that greeting kiss. Beautiful to watch, to see a lovers welcome back to the world. But I have no real ties to the people around me, and these people have no real ties towards me. I don't belong anymore, even if I tried. I haven't got the ability. I was left out from the greetings, a mere hello. But that made it easier, easier to leave if I had to.

A single tear fell from my eye, landing on the rails. As it dropped a warm hand was placed on my shoulder. I turned to see the smiling face of Rhys. I smiled in return. He put his hands on both sides of my face and wiped away falling tears with his thumbs.

"Don't despair love, I'm here now," As he said that I moved up and his lips met mine. He was gentle, no force, no dominance, just a pure kiss full of love. That only Rhys and I will share. No one else could tare this man away from me. He was mine, and mine to keep forever. Until death do _us_ part!


	7. Epilogue

**Own nothing. Written by both Inkinhart and x - Torchwood's Baby Blue - x**

Christmas Party, 2010

'Tosh, I will not be caught _dead_ in that.'

'Are you quite sure about that?' Tosh said, with her there's-something-in-it-for-you-if-you-acquiesce look in her eyes.

' … Okay then.'

* * *

'Can't we stay in tonight? It's Christmas eve.'

'No we can't. This is our first Christmas together since It happened and we all want to celebrate this fact,' Gwen said as she walked around the room trying to find the bracelet that Ianto gave to her for her birthday.

'And by 'we', I don't think you mean you and me,' he said in a sarcastic way.

'Come on Rhys, if you won't do it for me, then do it for Ianto. I know that you two are good friends. I've seen the way you talk to each other.

The way that Rhys went red and looked at the ground told her that she was right. They were good friends.

'Okay, okay fine, but we are gonna spend Christmas Day together right?'

'Yes, of course, who else would I spend Christmas Day with? No wait, don't answer that…' she said as she walked out of the door, grabbing her handbag as she went. 'Come on, or we'll be late.'

'Ianto, you _cannot_ wear those jeans.'

'Why, J – ' He couldn't finish his sentence, as there were suddenly a very insistent pair of lips attached to his own.

_Exactly the wanted reaction_, Ianto thought smugly.

Ianto eventually broke the kiss out of the need for oxygen.

'Jack, we need to go.'

Jack pouted, and said 'we need to get those jeans off of you.'

'We need to _go._'

'Well, _I_ need _you._'

'Jack, cariad, as soon as we get back afterwards you can have your wicked way with me. But _not before_.'

'Ianto Jones, you are _evil_. And coming from me, that means something.'

'Love you too, cariad.'

'Ya-an, you _know_ what that language does to me.'

'Oh, I don't think I do. Why don't you remind me?'

Jack just groaned, and pulled the Welshman towards him by the belt loops.

After another twenty minutes, Ianto succeeded in extracting Jack's hands from the front of his pants and, after a lot of whining, got him out the door.

* * *

'Oh. My. God!' was the reaction of the team as Owen and Tosh walked into the Hub. Well they thought it was Owen. None of them could tell as he was dressed in a ridiculous green and red elf outfit, which according to Tosh, some days later, looked 'cute' on him. Gwen begged to differ.

'Merry Christmas to you too,' was the response they got off him before he made his way to the line of spirits on the table in front of him.

After and hour or so, and lot of alcohol, Jack decided to make a speech.

'So, I'm really good at speeches, but here we go. After I took over Torchwood, I got a lot of … well use your imagination, and, well, I choose not to think about it. And you lot changed my life,' he said focusing his gaze on Ianto. 'So, I just wanna start of with saying thank you for that. Now, Tosh, your amazing. I am so glad I saved you! You, oh I dunno, your Tosh and that's all that counts. Owen … err … we'll come to you later. Gwen, oh Gwen Elizabeth Cooper, oh, sorry, Williams, what would out lives be without you? How would we cope without you? And Ianto Jones. Well … how about I show you exactly how _amazing_ you are later.'

This last, of course, had Ianto stuttering in that way he always did when he was blindsided.

'And now, let's get pissed!' Owen proclaimed happily.

And get pissed they did, though that is a story for a later time.

_FIN_


End file.
